1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
A prior art female terminal fitting is identified generally by the numeral 20 in FIG. 6. The prior art female terminal fitting 20 includes a connecting portion 21 for the connection with a male terminal fitting. The connecting portion 21 is formed at a front part of a female terminal fitting 20 bat bending, and is normally in the form of a rectangular tube extending in forward and backward directions. Further, a tongue 22 is provided at or on the bottom surface of the connecting portion 21, and can be brought elastically into contact with a tab of the male terminal fitting. The tongue 22 is formed by turning the bottom wall of the connecting portion 21 inwardly at the front end to have a substantially U-shape. The tongue 22 undergoes an elastic deformation and exerts a specified spring force to hold the tab of the male terminal fitting tightly against the ceiling surface of the connecting portion 21. Accordingly, it is essential to avoid excessive deformation of the tongue 22 in order to ensure a satisfactory electrical connection with the male terminal fitting. However, when a jig with a tapered leading end is inserted to withdraw the female terminal fitting 20 from the connector housing, it may mistakenly strike against the tongue 22. To avoid such an event, a protection wall 23 conventionally has been provided in front of the turned portion of the tongue 22.
There are some cases where the center axis of the tab of the male terminal fitting is displaced with respect to the female terminal fitting when the male and female connector housings are connected. In such cases, the tab may be deformed by interference with the above-mentioned protection wall 23.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem, and an object thereof is to provide a female terminal fitting which can guide a male terminal fitting to a proper position by avoiding interference with a protection wall even if the center axis of a male terminal fitting is slightly displaced from the female terminal fitting.